This week, our Editors-at-Large bring us around the world for the latest of literary news! From a brilliant cast of Central American authors at Madrid’s upcoming literary festival, to an inside glimpse into Spain’s translation residencies, to a thought-provoking workshop at China’s aBC Art Book Fair, read on to learn more!
José García Escobar, Editor-at-Large, reporting for Central America
Central America’s brightest stars are about to come together yet again!
On September 18, the latest edition of the region’s most celebrated literary festival, Centro América Cuenta, will kick off in Madrid, Spain!
This time, Centro América Cuenta will gather regional talents such as Arnoldo Gálvez Suárez (Guatemala), Cindy Regidor (Nicaragua), Horacio Castellanos Moya (El Salvador), Mónica Albizúrez (Guatemala), Rodrigo Rey Rosa (Guatemala), and Sergio Ramírez (Nicaragua), next to Latin American and Spanish writers such as Mónica Ojeda (Ecuador) and Patricio Pron (Argentina). One high point of the festival will occur on September 18, when former president of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís, and former Guatemalan jurist living in exile, Thelma Aldana, will gather to discuss the current state of democracy in Central America.
Just last month, authors Francisco Goldman (United States/Guatemala) and Gioconda Belli (Nicaragua) joined the honorary council of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). Other honorary council members include Guatemalan human rights advocate Claudia Paz y Paz and famed Mexican actor Diego Luna. About the new honorary council members, WOLA’s president, Carolina Jimenez Sandoval, said, “Although they come from many walks of life, one thing that unites them with WOLA is their commitment to the advancement of democracy and human rights in our hemisphere.”
Marina García Pardavila, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Spain
A (Translation) Room of One’s Own
Upon entering a book shop or a library, the first thing we see are those upcoming book releases awaiting a reader in need of a life changing experience—or at least an excuse to daydream. With the beginning of the fall season, the rentrée comes back in the same fashion as previous years and so do translated books. As the Spanish book market is quite reliant on translations, my interest in the material conditions of translation has grown. Considering writing residencies are one of the most valuable experiences for emerging and established writers alike, I wonder: Do translators enjoy a room of their own?
In 2021, literary translator María José Furió pointed out in Vasos Comunicante’s magazine that the scarcity of Spanish literary residencies for translators and writers was a major drawback to growing an international cultural network. Public funds were still numbered and private initiatives continued to remain rather unreachable for the average translator. These kinds of residencies allow literary translators to dive into their texts in an intimate manner, to connect with a different landscape, and to pitch marginal titles from peripheral places. In this regard, residencies act as small hubs in which productivity and creativity have no limits save for their short durations.
In the last couple years, cultural sanctuaries for translation like these have grown in Spain, especially regarding co-official languages such as Catalan, Galician, or Basque. In addition to the Casa del Traductor de Tarazona—whose co-founder, literary translator Francisco Uriz, recently passed away—there are a few projects heading in this direction: Residencia Literaria 1863, for translators focused on Galician literature; Institut Ramon Llull, for Catalan literature; Residencia Literaria Barcelona, and Faberllull de Olot, for translators working in Galician, Basque, or Catalan poetry.
The 2023 winner of the Residencia Literaria 1863 in Galicia, American translator Jacob Rogers, has remarked on the unprecedented ease that the experience has brought to his translation workflow: “There’s a definite peace-of-mind and focus aspect to it that was really helpful”. He also highlighted the possibility to reconnect with the Galician language, people, and “off-the-beaten-path places featured in the books”. The English publishing world is not so used to translations, thus the role of the translator and their link to the territory and the language from which they are translating is extremely valuable; these residencies prove to strengthen these connections and bring underexplored literature to the broader literary scene. Rogers elaborates: “We’re probably responsible for bringing a lot of the more unusual, or mold-breaking work that defies the didactic expectations of translated literature . . . I think without translators you have neither a diversity of languages and regions/countries, nor a diversity of the types of books that get published”.
Hopefully, in the near future, Spanish literary residencies will continue to serve as a refuge for literature with even more ambitious plans.
Jiaoyang Li, Editor-at-Large, reporting for China
From September 15 to 17, two significant art book fairs unfolded across two major cities.
In Hangzhou, the 8th abC Art Book Fair was staged at Building 16, Tianmuli, across five floors. The exhibition boasted twelve unique art projects, with five being fresh inclusions to this year’s edition. There was a special emphasis on promoting debuting book creators and local talent from Hangzhou, who made up approximately 40% of the 135 exhibitors. Some standout features included Revue Faire magazine from France’s Empire Publishing, and tabloid flaneur, a publication translating diverse writings from various fields into Chinese. Besides these, attendees enjoyed European antique prints, intaglio printing experiences, Nüshu (a script unique to women) workshops, and sessions on creating etched-print bookmarks and jewelry. A thought-provoking workshop, “A book? IS a book. Is a book!”, also probed the essence of an artist’s book. To diminish the environmental impact of the event, all display setups were provided by Jingren’s Paperlogue, a firm in China renowned for its innovative use of paper.
Concurrently, over in New York, the Rehearsal Art Book Fair occupied the University of Settlement. Specifically, it utilized the theater space and the bathhouse-adapted classrooms of this historic institution, which has championed the causes of immigrant workers and the underprivileged since the 1800s. The fair was a joint endeavor by Bungee Space and Accent Sisters, both renowned in their unique literary domains. With an ethos of returning to one’s roots, the fair stipulated that vendors could only present a maximum of 10% of their merchandise. Breaking the norm, the inaugural evening sidestepped regular events like artist talks and book signings. Instead, they staged an open mic titled “Poos from the Press”, encouraging participants to share quirky anecdotes and experiences from the publishing world. This was a conscious effort to foster a genuine atmosphere of sharing, unburdened by market expectations.
A noteworthy segment of the Rehearsal Art Book Fair was “Sam iz Dat”. This program shone the spotlight on over 240 art books by Chinese-speaking creators, marking a first for such a large-scale exhibit in the US. Contributors like Gatsa Collective, Ou Ning, Zhang Xiao, Yin Er, and several others added gravitas to the display. Highlighting the essence of this collaboration, John Tsung, the editor of 曱甴, commented on the unity of individual artists across potentially conflicting nations, brought together by their shared passion for art and books.
For those fervent about independent publishing, both events underscored the undying spirit of bookmaking as a medium of personal expression and revolution.
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